Barring a huge rally in the coming months, 2022 has been the most difficult investing year of my lifetime. This goes back to my first foray as a retail investor in 1987. Of course, in ‘87 I experienced the October market crash where the Dow fell 37% in one day. Stocks...
A financial advisor may seem like a luxury for many folks (though we would challenge you on that opinion). However, a trusted financial advisor, especially one who is a Certified Financial Planner like myself, is an essential partner a small business owner should not...
"I was hoping you'd get my money out of the market since a recession is coming," said an irritated client. So, what was I to do? Here are a few of my thoughts... Short-term Thinking is Very Problematic First, let's recognize what the statement above really means. It...
Summer is the time for picnics, outdoor fun, and high school reunions, but there’s also a lot of concern about what happened in the second quarter of 2022. Then there's this… "It’s great to see you Steve and oh, by the way, are my investments going to...
The first quarter of 2022 started out pretty poorly for most investors. The S&P 500 stock index declined 11% during the first 16 trading days of the year but recovered somewhat to finish down 5%. Of course, if you've been an investor with us for some time you...
How to Build and Protect Your Portfolio in the Coming Decade So the future forecast for stock and bond returns looks dismal, doesn't it? To remind you of my last missive, I've included the 7-year forecast for stocks and bonds below. Today, we're going to get specific...
The above chart doesn't look good, does it? In fact, it looks like something I wouldn't want any part of. Let me explain... The graph is titled "7-year Asset Class Real Return Forecasts." The left side is the forecasted return on stocks for the next 7 years and the...
Mastery. When you hear the word, you know you’ve run across something or someone that’s uncommonly good. Maybe you know a master builder or master craftsman. Or you enjoy watching flicks about Kung Fu masters who devote their lives to teaching others. I've always been...
What investors should watch in 2022... Welcome to 2022! I hope it will be a healthy, happy year for everyone reading this. While I'm stopping short of making formal "predictions," here are a few things I wouldn't be surprised to see happen this year -- and that could...
Many investment firms recommend a periodic rebalancing of one's portfolio. Let’s look at what rebalancing means and why you’ll not see me taking their approach. What does it mean to rebalance a portfolio? Rebalancing a portfolio is an asset allocation strategy. Assets...